India lost the second T20I in Ranchi despite Mayank Yadav running through the West Indies top order.
India suffered a six-wicket defeat in the second match of the five-T20I series against the West Indies at JSCA International Stadium, Ranchi on Friday (October 9).
Invited to bat first, the hosts India posted a massive 249/5 in 20 overs, heavily powered by Sanju Samson’s blistering 82 off 41 balls. The likes of Tilak Varma (44* off 18), Ishan Kishan (43 off 22) and Shreyas Iyer (40 off 18) also made vital contributions with the nbat.
Despite young Indian pacer Mayank Yadav striking twice in the very first over and reducing the visitors to 58/3 in the powerplay, the West Indies pulled off a historic chase.
Caribbean skipper Shai Hope smashed a spectacular, unbeaten 102 off 45 balls, anchoring a flawless counter-attack. He put together a ruthless 120-run partnership with Sherfane Rutherford, who blazed 84 runs off just 37 deliveries. The visitors crossed the line at 252/4 in 18.3 overs.
In his post-match press conference, India head coach Gautam Gambhir staunchly defended his team, particularly the bowling unit, and commended the West Indies batters for their special performances.
"I don't blame anyone or anything. The bottom line is that we could not defend 250. They batted extremely well and deserved to win. We still have a lot of work to do," Gambhir told reporters.
He also downplayed the effect of the toss and refused to point fingers at Mayank’s costly dropped catch of Rutherford, emphasizing that errors happen naturally in cricket.
"The toss is not in your hands. Catches get dropped; it has happened in the past and will happen in the future. Nobody drops catches intentionally, so you cannot blame anyone for that," Gambhir said.
"I don't know if there is a safe total. We thought 250 was a good score, especially after taking two early wickets. But credit to the West Indies for what they achieved with the bat," he added.
Mayank Yadav brought the heat in Ranchi, ripping through the West Indies top order with searing pace in the second T20I. He eventually returned with the figures of 3 for 36 in his three overs.
Gambhir emphasized that since Mayank possesses genuine raw pace, he should stick to his core strength of bowling fast—consistently hitting the 145-150 kph mark—rather than mixing in too many slower variations as he had done in the series opener in Lucknow.
“He’s a fast bowler and he should bowl like a fast bowler. He’s not a slow bowler,” Gambhir stated. “If you can bowl 150, then bowl 150. If you can bowl 120, then bowl 120. So when you are playing as a fast bowler, it is your duty to bowl fast like a fast bowler. That is what he did today, and that is why he was successful.”
With this result, the T20I series currently stands level at 1-1. The third T20I will be played in Indore on Sunday (October 11).